


Partners

by Regi



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Supportive Sakura, rated for later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:33:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26683723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Regi/pseuds/Regi
Summary: College AU featuring our favorite Naruto characters. It's freshman year. It's full of new beginnings. A time when friendships are built and sparks fly between friends and enemies.**On Hiatus**
Relationships: Gaara/Rock Lee, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hoozuki Suigetsu/Karin, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Inuzuka Kiba/Kankurou, Nara Shikamaru/Temari, Uchiha Itachi/Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 11
Kudos: 60





	1. Youth Rests for No One

**Author's Note:**

> Betas: butwhatifwedid and wordsbymeganmichael 
> 
> No Naruto characters were harmed in the making of this fic (i.e. I do not own Naruto or any of the characters).

It was the first day of class, and for a freshman like Sakura, it was the most exciting day of her life. She was free. Free from her parents, free from high school drama, and free of the stupid student orientation. Seriously, orientation was the longest five days of her life. There were so many “get-to-know-each-other” activities. And sure, some of them were fine. But five days worth? 

It wasn’t all bad though. She got to know the girls in her hall better, especially her roommate Ino. Ino was in the same department as Sakura, and they were in a lot of classes together. Sure, Ino seemed competitive, but whatever. There was Hinata, who lived across the hall. She was soft spoken, but very nice. Sakura was sure that the three of them would be good friends. 

Everything was going smoothly. All of the new students  _ had _ to go to the football field for the final night of icebreakers. It was fun. Sakura got to meet Ino’s childhood friends, Shikamaru and Choji and Hinata’s friends, Kiba and Shino. She also met a quiet guy with red hair and  _ was that a tattoo on his forehead _ ? Whatever. Who was she to judge?

It wasn’t until Sakura walked into English Composition 101 that she felt a huge wave of shock. Waiting outside of the classroom was a boy with bright blonde hair and big blue eyes. If she didn’t know any better she would think it was— 

“Sakura?” the blonde beamed.

Her jaw dropped. “Naruto?!”

He laughed nervously, placing his hand on his neck. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you here.”

She was at a loss for words. The high school jokester. The trouble maker. The kid who desecrated the statue outside of the office (twice). The bane of every teacher’s existence. The guy who randomly disappeared during sophomore year, never to be heard from again. Naruto Uzumaki was in her class.

“Excuse me.”

Sakura snapped back to reality. She was blocking the doorway.

“Excuse me,” the man repeated, obviously annoyed. He glared at her, pale grey eyes focused and frustrated. 

She mumbled an apology and quickly sat next to Hinata. 

“Don’t mind him,” Hinata said. “Neji’s always miserable.”

Sakura smiled.

The door to the classroom shut with a loud bang. The professor walked in, trying not to drop a large stack of papers.

“Good morning, everyone!” He said brightly. “My name is Iruka Umino, and I am going to be teaching this class this semester.” He was sweating and his hands were shaking. “Welcome to English Composition 101. Uh…” he said rustling through the papers, “Here. Please take one and pass them around,” he said, shoving a stack of syllabi into Kiba’s hands.

He began reading through the syllabus and Sakura zoned out. This was bad. It was the first day and she was already bored with the class. 

“He seems nervous,” Hinata whispered.

“More like petrified,” Ino replied.

Sakura looked across the room and saw Naruto sitting in the front row. He was following along with everything Iruka-sensei said, taking notes in the margins of the syllabus. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

“Do you know him?” Hinata asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. We went to high school together,” Sakura whispered.

“Oh.”

“Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” Hinata said, blushing furiously. 

Ino leaned over to look at Sakura, looked at Hinata, looked back at Sakura, and smirked.

“You know, he is kinda cute,” Ino whispered. “Don’t you think so, Hinata?”

“Oh, no, I—”

“Ladies,” Iruka said sternly. 

The three of them looked at Iruka with wide eyes.

“Something you’d like to share with the class?”

“Uh… no, sensei. I just wasn’t sure where we were and Hinata was helping me,” Ino said with a weak smile. 

Iruka sighed. “I was just about to explain the section on writing partners.”

They nodded. 

Iruka sighed again before looking back at the syllabus. “Students will work in 

pairs throughout the entire semester for all writing assignments. This does not mean you are writing a collaborative paper. Instead, you will be sharing papers with each other, making revisions, and helping your partner, should they need it. This is worth 30% of your final grade.”

Iruka leaned against the desk. “Now, before I tell you who your partners are, I 

want to know who all of you are. We’re going to go around the room. Say your name and your major. Naruto? Start us off.”

Naruto stood awkwardly. “My name’s Naruto Uzumaki and I am majoring in 

communications, ya know!” he said, giving a thumbs up.

Hinata blushed again. 

“I’m Kiba Inuzuka, majoring in Veterinary Sciences.”

“Shino Aburame. I’m majoring in Zoology, with a focus in Entomology.”

Next was the redhead with the weird tattoo. “Gaara Subaku. Horticulture

Science,” he mumbled

Next was the menacing boy sitting behind him. He had his hood up and very

obviously had a headphone in his right ear. “Kankuro Subaku. Theatre Production,” he said without standing. 

“I’m Tenten. I have a dual major in Entrepreneurship and Modern Languages, with a minor in History.”

“Neji Hyuuga,” the grumpy guy from earlier said. “I’m majoring in Healthcare Administration.”

“I’m Rock Lee, and I have dedicated my springtime of youth to Kinesiology, with a focus in Exercise Physiology, so I can—”

Neji grabbed Lee’s belt, pulling him back into his seat, while Tenten hid her face behind her hand.  
“Sasuke Uchiha,” said the boy dressed in all black. He seemed more disinterested than the rest of the students. “International Business.”

“Uchiha…” Iruka said. “You’re Itachi’s brother, right?”

Sasuke scowled.

Next was a really pale boy, who had black hair and a fake smile. “I’m studying Studio Art, with a focus in painting. You can call me Sai.”

Sakura swore she saw hearts in Ino’s eyes.

“Choji Akimichi,” Ino’s friend said, quickly swallowing the handful of chips he had just stuffed in his mouth. “Studying Food Science.”

“Ino Yamanaka. Biobehavioral Science.”

“Uh, H-Hinata Hyuuga. Healthcare Administration.”

“Sakura Haruno. Pre-Med.”

Iruka clapped his hands together. “Excellent! Now that we know everyone, you’ll know exactly who your partner is.” He picked up another paper and began reading the names. 

“Alright. Tenten, you’re working with Shino. Neji is working with Sai. Ino is with Choji. Then Kiba and Kankuro. Gaara and Lee. Sakura and Naruto. And Hinata and Sasuke.”

Hinata’s shoulders dropped and she sighed. Ino leaned over, giving Sakura a  _ look _ . Sakura nodded, and raised her hand. “Sensei?”

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if Hinata and I could switch partners. You know, it’s just…” she was struggling for a good excuse. Naruto looked defeated at this request. Hinata was now as red as a tomato.

“I understand,” Iruka said, holding up his hand.  _ It would be awkward, _ he thought,  _ being partnered with your crush. Then again, she could be terrified of him. Hinata is so soft spoken and Sasuke seems…  _ “Naruto. You will be partnered with Sasuke. Sakura, you will be with Hinata.”

Ino dropped her head on the desk. Hinata’s eyes were wide with confusion and Sakura brought her palm to her forehead.

“Okay then,” Iruka continued. “I want everyone to meet with their partner for the rest of the class. Get to know them for the next twenty minutes or so. Your first writing assignment is due Sunday at 11:59pm—don’t give me that look, it’s only three pages. Okay, pair up.”

“Sensei,” Naruto said, raising his hand. “I’m already roommates with my partner. Do we have to stay and get to know each other?”

Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, Naruto.”

Naruto grabbed his bag and trudged over to Sasuke. 

“Hey.”

“Hn.”

“Look, I—”

“Unless it has to do with class, I don’t care. You worry about your grades, and I’ll worry about mine.”

“You—” Iruka shot a dirty look at Naruto and he lowered his voice. “Bastard.”

“Idiot.”

“I can’t believe Shikamaru tested out of this class,” Ino lamented as Choji sat next to her. 

“What did you expect? He’s practically a genius.”

Kiba slunk towards Kankuro. “Hi, I’m Kiba.”

Kankuro nodded before putting his other headphone in and ignoring Kiba for the rest of class.

Lee hopped over towards Gaara. “Hello! I am your new writing partner! I can’t wait to see what great collaborations we come up with this semester.”

Gaara’s mouth opened in shock as Lee jumped over the desk and sat in the seat next to him. He just had… so much energy.

Tenten buried her face in her arms. “Lee… give it a rest, will you?”

“But Tenten, youth rests for no one! We should take the opportunities we are given and should share them with—”

“Enough,” Neji said sternly, not looking up from the schedule he and Sai had created.

“But—”

“Class dismissed!”

Sakura bolted out of the room. Her head was throbbing. Was every class going to be like this? She certainly hoped not. 

  
  



	2. The Guy with the Murder Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Naruto characters were harmed in the making of this fic (i.e. I do not own Naruto or any of the characters).

Naruto’s face was smashed against his pillow. He groggily waved his hand around, trying to smack his stupid frog alarm clock. Why did he set an alarm on a Saturday? Oh, yeah, he was supposed to meet Sakura for lunch. She had acted really weird the first day, but now he and Sakura were becoming friends. After all, she invited him. 

After finally hitting the bright orange frog, Naruto sat up. He looked over at Sasuke’s bed. The asshole was long gone. His stupid blue comforter was made up perfectly. In fact, everything on his side of the room was in perfect order. His desk was neatly organized.  A plain blue pencil holder with matching mechanical pencils was the only thing sitting atop the desk, the rest seemingly tucked away and out of sight. H is closet was organized  by color (not that there was a lot of color in there. But grey, blue, and black seem to be the only colors he acknowledges). On top of his dresser were copious amounts of grooming products. And it wasn’t just the staples. It was weird stuff Naruto had never even heard of (face creams, toner, eye serums, nail oil…). And there were at least  _ three _ different hair gels. 

_ What a princess _ , Naruto thought. He had to admit, the cologne was nice. It was something French and probably cost more than his biweekly paycheck, but that didn’t stop him from spraying a little on his neck. 

He zipped up his orange hoodie and made his way to the dining hall. On his way, he passed the weird guy with the silver hair. His name was Kakashi and he was known for just roaming the campus, reading a weird porn book. Sometimes, he’d be walking his six dogs (which Naruto would happily stop and pet). No one was really sure what Kakashi  _ did _ , or if he even belonged on campus. But, between the large scar over his eye and the mask he wore, no one was brave enough to ask. 

Naruto had actually met Kakashi once before the school year started. He had gotten his acceptance letter in the mail and rushed over to Iruka’s house to tell him the news. (He thought he should be the first to know, since Iruka really helped him prepare his applications). When he got there, Iruka opened the door slightly, not letting Naruto inside. His hair was out of its usual ponytail, his cheeks were all flushed, and Naruto was pretty sure his shirt was on inside out. Kakashi appeared behind Iruka, congratulated Naruto, and told the sensei that he would see him later. Naruto still isn’t sure what that was all about. 

He walked into the dining hall and saw Sakura sitting at a round table, along with Hinata, Shino, and Kiba.

“Naruto!” Sakura said, waving to him. 

“You’re late,” Shino stated. 

Naruto grimaced.

“It’s not like he missed anything important,” Sakura said. “Just a lot of Kiba’s whining.”

“Hey!”

“Well, it’s true.”

Hinata giggled. 

“It’s not my fault I got stuck with a terrible partner,” Kiba huffed, crossing his arms.

Sakura rolled her eyes. 

“What?” Kiba snapped. “You guys are lucky, you got partnered with decent people and I got partnered with the murderous drug lord.”

“I don’t want to hear it,” said Naruto. “My partner is a complete and utter bastard who is doing his best to avoid me! When I ask when we are going to meet, he just ignores me. He acts like he is  _ so _ much better, when in reality he’s just a smug shit, ya know.”

They all looked at him with wide eyes.

“What?” he asked, mouth full of food.

“So I take it the whole roommate situation isn’t any better,” Sakura said. 

“That’s fine,” Naruto quipped. “He stays out of my way and I stay out of his. The only thing we share is the door.”

“Aren’t you being a little juvenile?” Kiba teased.

“You’re one to talk!”

“Who’s one to talk?” Ino asked, sitting beside Sakura, followed by an exhausted Shikamaru.

“Kiba,” Sakura replied. “Where’s Choji?”

“Still getting food,” Shikamaru yawned. 

“Aw, what’s wrong with Kiba?” Ino teased.

“What isn’t?” Naruto mumbled.

“Nothing is wrong with me!” Kiba yelled. The people at the table next to them turned to look at him, causing him to turn red and huff again. “Nothing is wrong with me,” he continued, quietly this time. “It’s this whole writing partner thing.”

“Oh that’s right,” Ino said. “You got paired with the scary-looking upperclassman.”

“The guy with the murder face?” Choji asked, plopping in between Ino and Shikamaru.

“See? Choji gets it,” Kiba said, glaring at Naruto. 

Naruto shrugged.

“I heard he failed the class before,” Ino said, not looking up. 

“And where did you hear that?” Sakura asked in disbelief. 

“Around,” Ino snapped. “Some of the girls in my department said he’s in their year. He’s apparently really violent. Probably does drugs, too.”

“Ino!” Sakura interjected.

“What?”

Sakura nodded towards Kiba, who was shrouded in a coat of gloom.

“Uh…” Ino started, frantically searching for an answer. “I’m sure they’re just rumors, Kiba. You’ll be fine.” She laughed nervously. 

“I’m doomed,” Kiba mumbled into the table. Shino awkwardly tried to reach past Hinata and pat his back, but accidently patted Kiba’s head instead. Kiba grunted.

Sakura was scolding Ino for spreading rumors, but she wasn’t paying attention. Instead, Ino was focused on the pale boy across the room.

Sai sat by himself, doodling in his notebook in between bites of food. He was so focused on whatever he was working on. Ino let out a dreamy sigh.

“Are you even listening?” Sakura snapped. 

Naruto wasn’t paying much attention either. He was too busy glaring at his stupid roomate, who was sitting at a small table in the other room, reading a book. Next to him was a girl with bright red hair and glasses, who was shouting at the boy across from her. There was another guy, too. A bulky guy, with bright orange hair. He was ignoring the fighting couple as he delicately poked at his food. 

“Naruto?”

He quickly snapped back to reality. Hinata was looking at him, her brows furrowed in concern. 

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Me? Never better,” he laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“It’s not fair,” Ino whined. “Why couldn’t I be paired with Sai? We’d make a good couple, don’t you think?”

“You barely know him,” Choji stated.

“That’s never stopped her before,” Shikamaru added.

“Oh, like you’re one to talk!” Ino said, pointing at him. 

“Relationships are a drag,” Shikamaru added.

“Well,” Ino said, crossing her arms, “some of us actually want a relationship and not some weekend hookup with a random stranger. Right, Choji?”

Choji regretted his choice of seating. 

“Wait…” Kiba started, grinning from ear to ear. “Shikamaru?”

Everyone was now staring at Shikamaru. 

Choji laughed. “Oh yeah, Shikamaru’s been learning  _ a lot _ of new things in college,” he said, smacking his friend on the back.

“Choji,” Shikamaru warned, with a slight blush creeping onto his cheeks.

“Wait, seriously?” Sakura asked in shock.

“WHEN?!” Naruto all but screamed.

“During orientation,” Choji continued as Shikamaru buried his head in his hands. “He left the Saturday gathering for a smoke and was picked up by an upperclassman.”

“All right, Shikamaru!” Kiba said, reaching for a high five. He was rejected.

“There’s no way that’s true,” Sakura said in a disapproving tone.

“It is,” Shikamaru mumbled into his hands, before sitting up. “She asked if I was headed to Kurotsuchi’s party and I said I had nowhere else to be.”

“Which is a lie,” Ino interjected, angrily. “You ditched us for a dirty basement quicky.”

“Ino!” Choji exclaimed.

“Troublesome woman,” Shikamaru mumbled as he stood to go fill his cup. “And it wasn’t in a basement,” he added, as if Ino’s comment only just registered. 

“Aw man,” Naruto sulked, laying his head on the table. “Classes didn’t even start and Shikamaru’s already getting invited to parties.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Do you know who she was?” she asked Ino.

“Some senior, I think,” Ino said, waving off Naruto’s comment. “He didn’t say her name. Probably didn't’ even ask for it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Temari stood in the cramped bathroom, pulling her hair into four pigtails. The last hair tie snapped, causing her arm to jerk and slam into the door. Kankuro’s towel fell off the hook, dropped onto the sink, and knocked over the cup of toothbrushes. She sighed and picked up the stiff towel.

_ When was the last time he washed this? _ she thought, scrunching her nose. She stuffed the towel in the hamper before trying to find another hair tie. She opened the cabinet and three pill bottles fell in the sink. She took a deep breath, trying not to get more frustrated, before stuffed the bottles back in the tiny cabinet and slamming the mirror shut.

_ Shit _ , she thought. She never grabbed another hair tie. 

Gaara sat at the kitchen table, typing up the rest of his writing assignment. Lee had messaged him several times yesterday, asking Gaara if he wanted to meet. Frankly, Gaara wasn’t sure he could handle someone so energetic. They agreed to share their papers via email this week, but Gaara knew it was only a matter of time until Lee wanted to meet in person. Gaara was going to need a lot of caffeine that day. And a lot of patience.

“Kankuro!” Temari shouted, slamming on the closed bedroom door.

Gaara nearly jumped out of his skin. He should be used to this by now.

“Is he up?” Temari asked, turning to her youngest brother.

Gaara shrugged and continued typing.

Temari slammed her open palm against the door. 

“Kankuro! Get! Up! It is after noon!”

“Stop banging on the door!” Kankuro snapped, whipping the door open. He leaned his face close to Temari and glared. “What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? Don’t you have homework to do?”

“That’s why you woke me up? On a Saturday?”

“Don’t give me that attitude,” she said, shoving his face away. “I know that you work tomorrow, so there’s no way you’re going to do it then.”

Kankuro pushed her hand away from her face. 

“Gaara,” Temari continued, ignoring Kankuro’s snarl, “I have to work tonight, so you guys are on your own for dinner. Go to the dining hall, and don’t just eat shit.”

Gaara nodded without looking up. 

“And you,” she said, wagging a finger at Kankuro, “actually work on schoolwork. And, ew, brush your teeth.” She cringed as Kankuro opened his mouth to breathe in her face. 

Temari walked over to the couch, double checking her bag. 

“It’s cold in here,” Kankuro mumbled, leaning against the doorframe. 

“Wear some clothes when you sleep and you won’t have that problem,” Temari replied.

“I’m wearing pants.”

She rolled her eyes. “I left some quarters on the counter. One of you needs to do the laundry.”

“Bossy,” Kankuro all but whispered.

“Please,” Temari said, irritated.

She walked over to Gaara and wrapped her arm around his head. After kissing the top of his head, she ruffled his hair. “I’ll see you guys tonight.”

The heavy door slammed behind her and it was silent.

“She never gives me a kiss,” Kankuro said.

“You want one?”

“Hell no, those are reserved for our baby brother.”

Gaara sighed. He was used to “baby brother” jokes at this point. 

“Did you start your writing assignment yet?” Gaara asked. 

Kankuro ignored him. He yawned and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door.

“Where the hell’s my towel?” he yelled through the door.

Gaara rolled his eyes and started typing again. Maybe Gaara would write Kankuro’s assignment too, not that he would ask. Temari would kill him, but she didn’t have to know. Gaara just didn’t want Kankuro to fail this class. Again. 

Gaara’s phone buzzed and the name “Rock Lee” flashed on the screen. He sighed again, flipped his phone over, and shook his head.  _ Was college always going to be this stressful? _ he thought.  _ Probably _ .

  
  



	3. The Guy Who Uses 3-in-1 Soap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still don't own these characters, just the plot.

Iruka flopped on the bench with a heavy sigh. This class was going to be the death of him.  _ I’m not ready to teach college yet _ , he thought.  _ I should’ve stayed in high school one more year before making this leap _ …  _ No. I told myself that last year. I can’t keep pushing this off, right? _ He wanted to pull his hair out and scream at the top of his lungs.  _ If I have a breakdown out here, they’ll fire me. Right? Would that be the worst thing… YES it would be. I did not suffer through grad school just to quit! … right? _

To be honest, this was not what he expected when he said he wanted to be a college professor. He thought students would respect him and act like adults, just like he did when he was there. But he wasn’t some great professor. He was a part-time adjunct who was stuck teaching intro level courses. _Sarutobi-sensei_ _would know how to handle them much better than I can._ He sighed again. 

He yelled at his class today. It was justified, but it still didn’t feel right. They  _ were _ only freshmen and sophomores. Maybe he was being too tough on them. He thought back to his morning class, which was the cause of all of this doubt. 

_ Iruka had slammed the door as he walked in. The room got eerily silent upon his entry. He was furious. There was no questioning it.  _

_ “Before we start class today, I want to address your writing partner assignments. These assignments are not meant to just be shared over a brief email the night before they are due! They are not meant to be completely ignored by your partners! I explicitly told you to work together when writing these papers. This is not meant to be taken lightly. This is a college course. Don’t think that you can do the bare minimum simply because this is a gen ed! You are all adults. It is time that you act like it. Starting today, I am adding an extra level to this assignment. You will meet with your partner, in person, and you will each make notes on each other's drafts. These drafts will be turned in with the paper on the day it is due. If you do not meet with your assigned partner, you will fail the assignment.  _

_ “I am willing to give you all until Saturday at 11:59pm to turn in drafts and final revisions. This is a short paper, and it should not be this difficult. Am I understood?” _

Iruka buried his head in his hands.  _ I was definitely too harsh _ , he thought. His class was made up of mostly freshmen, who probably didn’t know any better.  _ No _ , he thought,  _ they need to learn responsibility sooner or later. I was doing my job _ . To be honest, this assignment had nothing to do with the papers. It was about his students building trust with their classmates. Finding someone they can rely on to help them as they further their studies. If they go into higher level courses with no support—and no idea how to get that support—they’ll struggle. It was as simple as that, right?

Iruka sighed again.

“That was a heavy sigh.”

Iruka looked up and saw Kakashi sitting next to him on the bench, with one foot over his thigh, not looking up from his book. 

“Kakashi-sa—”

“Don’t even say it.”

Iruka gave a weak laugh. “But we’re at school.”

Kakashi raised an eyebrow and closed his book. “Is there something on your mind?” he asked.

_ He really gets right to point _ , Iruka thought. “Nothing. I just had a long day.”

“It’s only 11am.”

“Fine, I had a long morning.”

Kakashi looked at him, knowing full well that Iruka was stressed. 

“Come on, sensei. Don’t make me beg,” Kakashi poutted. 

Iruka blushed. “I—”

“Unless you want me to beg, but I’d rather do that in private.”

“Kakashi!” Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s really nothing. I just—I don’t know. I don’t think I’m cut out for this. Teaching, I mean.”

Kakashi continued to stare at him.

Iruka huffed. “I’m not sure I’m doing this right. You know, being a college instructor. They’re still young, but they’re adults, and I know it’s not our job to guide them through life, but… I just want to make sure they get as many life lessons from my class as possible. Even if they hate me for it now. They’re in the real world now and I don’t want to watch them drown. What?”

Kakashi had placed his head in his hand and was smiling under his mask. “This is exactly why you  _ should _ be teaching here. It’s a big school. Not every professor is going to care as much as you do. I wish more professors did.”

“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, right?”

Kakashi laughed, reaching for Iruka’s hand. He pulled it to the back of the bench, hiding them behind their legs, before he laced their fingers. 

“I promise.”

“Kakashi, we are at school—”

“Mah, sensei. No one can see us.”

Iruka smiled.

“Why don’t you come over tonight?” Kakashi continued. “I can make dinner. We could cuddle on the couch?”

Iruka laughed. “Why do I feel like your idea of cuddling and my idea of cuddling are two different things?”

“Is that a yes?” Kakashi smiled.

Iruka smiled and squeezed his hand. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sasuke finished his final lap in the pool with his best time yet. He had been pretty stagnant all semester, so it was nice to see some progress. He let himself float in the water for a few moments, closing his eyes. It didn’t last long, because Suigetsu splashed him in the face. 

“So I heard your comp class got ripped a new one this morning,” Suigetsu said with a smirk. “Man, I am so glad I’m in Ebisu sensei’s class. It is super easy.”

Suigetsu was now floating on his back, flicking his hands on the top of the water. Sasuke ignored him and pulled himself out of the water. He stood on the edge of the pool and took a deep breath. The chlorine was so strong here. He knew he was going to smell like it all evening. 

Sasuke pulled the cap off of his head and shook his hair out. He rubbed his hands over his eyes, trying to make the goggle marks disappear quickly. 

“Do you have to flip your hair like that every time?” Suigetsu asked, splashing Sasuke’s feet. 

“Like what?” Sasuke asked, annoyed.

“Like  _ this _ ,” Suigetsu said, flipping his head back and forth. It really didn’t have the same effect, considering he still had his cap on. “You’re just feeding into their thirst this point.” Suigetsu pointed his thumb over to the viewing glass where a group of girls sat, watching their practice. 

“Hn,” Sasuke hummed, picking up his towel. 

“Even Karin comes to watch you,” Suigetsu continued, pulling himself out of the water. 

“She’s your girlfriend.”

“Trust me,” Suigetsu said, leaning his elbow on Sasuke’s shoulder, “she isn’t here to see me.”

Sasuke shook Suigetsu off. He really wanted no part of whatever Suigetsu was implying. He and Karin had a weird relationship, and they needed to keep it far away from him.

“Sasuke,” came Kisame’s voice. He was standing at the edge of the pool, waving his hand. “Come here.”

“What is it?” Sasuke asked, disinterested.

“You had a really good time today. Actually, it’s your best time yet. Keep up the good work,” Kisame bellowed, smacking Sasuke on the back.

“Hn.”

“Here,” Kisame said, shoving an envelope into Sasuke’s hands. “Itachi sent this.”

“Whatever.”

Kisame rolled his eyes as Sasuke made his way into the locker room. 

When he got back to his dorm, Sasuke dropped his bag on his bed and sat at his desk. He leaned back in his chair and pulled out the envelope from Itachi. It was probably another letter. Not that he cared. He heard the door click open and quickly stuffed the letter in his desk drawer.

“Oh,” Naruto said, “I didn’t think you would be back yet.”

Sasuke grunted.

Naruto turned around and stripped down to his boxers. He pulled on a pair of black slacks and a bright pink T-shirt that said “Riki’s Pub.” 

“So, about Iruka’s class,” Naruto began, tying a green bandana around his head, “when can we meet to go over stuff?”

“Tch. I really doubt meeting would be that useful.”

Naruto turned around, his arms crossed. “It doesn’t matter if it’s useful, we need to do it for our grades.”

“Just leave a copy of your paper and I’ll make notes later. It’s not like I need suggestions on mine,” Sasuke said without looking at his roommate. 

Naruto could feel a vein pop in his forehead. “Look,” he said, his voice dripping in anger, “I don’t really want to work with some stubborn bastard who thinks he’s better than everyone else, but we have to. If we don’t do this assignment, we both fail. And I don’t know about you, Mr. Perfect, but I can’t afford to fail this class. And I especially won’t fail just because you think you’re better than me, ya know!” 

Sasuke turned to look at Naruto, showing no emotion on his face. 

“Forget it,” Naruto said, slamming the door as he left.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ino, Choji, Neji, Tenten, and Lee had been in the library for the past three hours, grinding away on schoolwork. Who knew there could be so much work assigned in such a short amount of time? Shikamaru had joined them after his calculus seminar. He was placed in Calculus III as a freshman. What a drag. Choji had accidently spilled his smoothie on Ino’s paper and she was scolding him for it. 

Shikamaru yawned. Ino was too loud. He wanted to sit outside and watch the clouds, but Ino insisted that he joined them here. He still wasn’t sure why. He jumped when Lee suddenly stood up at the table, frantically waving at the door.

“Gaara,” he whisper-screamed, “over here!”

Gaara looked intimidated by Lee’s overbearing attitude. Shikamaru couldn’t blame him for that. Gaara turned and nodded towards the scary-looking guy who followed him in before walking towards the table. 

Lee was scrambling to find another chair when Shikamaru’s phone buzzed. It was a short message:  _ Are you free right now? _

Shikamaru smiled. “I gotta go. You can have my seat,” he said, patting Gaara’s shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Choji asked.

“Probably to see his mystery girl,” Ino said in a disapproving tone. 

Shikamaru held his middle finger over his head and didn’t look back. Ino stuck her tongue out at him (not that he could tell). 

Everyone silently continued working. A few moments passed before Lee blurted, “So who was the intimidating gentleman that escorted you here?”

Gaara looked up, surprised. Tenten’s mouth hung upon in disbelief.  _ Escorted?, _ she thought.

Neji huffed. “They share the same last name, Lee. They’re probably siblings.”

Gaara opened his mouth to answer but was cut off.

“Are you twins?” Lee asked, his voice dripping with excitement. 

Neji winced. Tenten brought her palm to her face. “Lee…” she said, weakly.

Gaara’s eyes were wide with confusion. “Uh… no. We’re not,” he said, slowly. “Kankuro is older.”

“I see,” Lee said, smashing his fist into his open hand. “It is so nice to see siblings spending quality time together! Bonding with one another is important!” 

Gaara nodded, looking over at Ino and Choji, who also had their heads in their hands. He didn’t have the heart to tell Lee that Kankuro worked in the computer lab and that is the only reason they walked together. 

Neji pinched the bridge of his nose, turning his focus back to his schoolwork. Tenten mouthed  _ sorry _ at Gaara before doing the same. 

Lee and Gaara quickly swapped papers and began reading through them. Lee was humming something happily while he made his markings in green pen. Gaara sighed in relief. It was finally quiet.

“Is that a birthmark or a tattoo?” Lee asked, pointing his pen at Gaara’s head.

“Lee!” Tenten exclaimed in frustration. “Quit interrogating him. He  _ just _ sat down.”

“But that is all the more reason to ask him questions,” Lee stated boldly. “We hardly know each other and I would like to know more about him. We are partners and we must depend on each other throughout the semester. I assure you, Gaara, you can count on me to provide the best work possible! I will write it 500 times if I have to—”

“Lee,” Neji said, glaring at his friend. The two of them stared at each other for a few seconds before Lee sighed. 

“I apologize if I made you uncomfortable,” he said, hanging his head like a child who had just been scolded.

They all went back to their homework. Lee had his head on the desk, pouting while he wrote. His eyes were watery but he wasn’t crying (at least not externally). 

“Tattoo,” Gaara mumbled. 

Lee looked up at him with a trembling lip.

“It’s a tattoo.”

Lee sat up, tears of happiness flowing down his cheeks. 

“Lee…” Tenten cringed, throwing a pack of tissues at him. 

“There is nothing wrong with tears of joy, Tenten. It is just further proof of my eternal youth!”

Neji sighed, closing his laptop. He wasn’t getting any work done anyways. 

“It is a lovely tattoo,” Lee continued. “It gives your eyes a youthful glow!”

Gaara’s eyes widened and his cheeks turned as red as his hair.

“He’s…very straightforward,” Tenten said awkwardly, as Lee loudly blew his nose in the tissue.

Gaara just nodded, still shocked by the previous comment.

“Uh…,” Ino started. “Do you guys want to go grab dinner? I’m starving.”  _ This is getting way too awkward _ , she thought.

“Can’t,” Neji said, putting his laptop in his bag. 

“We have a date,” Tenten mused, leaning on his shoulder. 

Neji looked away, but Ino swore she could see his cheeks flush ever so slightly. 

Ino grinned. “What about you, Gaara?”

“Uh,” he said, trying to compose himself. “Sure.”

“Excellent!” Lee bellowed. 

Choji, Ino, Gaara, and Lee made their way to the dining hall, where they were met by Sakura, Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. 

“No Naruto?” Choji asked.

“Nah, he has to work tonight,” Sakura said, looking at her phone. “Shikamaru?”

“Where do you think,” Ino said, rolling her eyes.

Hinata blushed. 

“Everyone, this is Gaara!” Lee interjected, pointing at Gaara. 

“We’ve met,” Sakura said, trying not to laugh. Gaara was holding on to the strap of his bag as if it were a lifeline. She didn’t blame him.

“These papers are harder than they need to be,” Ino huffed, breaking the tension yet again. 

“Ino and I were working on them for hours today,” Choji added, shoveling a handful of food in his mouth.

“Us too,” Hinata said. “Shino, did you meet with Tenten yet?”

“Not yet,” he said flatly. “We’re going to meet tomorrow, after class.”

“Gaara and I were working intently as well!” Lee added enthusiastically.

“What about you, Kiba?” Shino inquired.

“Yeah, Kiba,” Sakura teased. “Did you meet with your partner yet?”

“Of course not,” he snapped. “I don’t even know  _ how _ to contact the murderous drug lord, and frankly, I don’t want to. He looks like the guy who set ants on fire with a magnifying glass when he was a kid.” Kiba shuddered.

He looked over at Ino and Choji, who were waving their hands, trying to get him to stop talking. 

“What?” he barked.

“Hm,” Gaara said, his lips curving into the slightest smile. “Well,” he continued, “you aren’t wrong.” 

Gaara was laughing. Or, at least, kind of laughing? Kiba wasn’t sure.

“See?” Kiba said. “Even Gaara sees it.”

“That’s because they live together,” Ino groaned, putting her head in her hands. 

“Oh, you’re roommates?” Hinata asked.

“Brothers!” Lee exclaimed.

Kiba felt a pit in his stomach. 

“I’m so sorry!” he stumbled, color draining from his face. “I had no idea—”

“You’re fine,” Gaara insisted.  _ Murderous drug lord _ , he thought.  _ I should remember that one for later. _

_ Yeah, he was definitely smiling _ , Kiba thought.  _ No need to panic, right? _

“Here,” Gaara said, handing him a sticky-note with a phone number scrawled on it. “This is his cell.”

“Thanks,” Kiba said hesitantly, taking the slip of paper. “But I doubt he’ll answer. He really wanted nothing to do with this before.”

“He’ll answer,” Gaara instisted.  _ If not, I’ll just tell Temari. He’ll definitely answer then _ .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sasuke laid in his bed with his hands behind his head. He couldn’t sleep. He looked at his alarm clock and frowned. It was 11:45. He had been laying here for almost an hour with no hope of falling asleep. And he had 6am swim practice tomorrow. He  _ needed _ to sleep. He huffed and rolled onto his side, facing Naruto’s half of the room.

_ He’s such a slob _ , he thought, looking at the clothes left at the foot of his unmade bed. The orange comforter was thrown in a ball at the edge of the bed, and his pillow was laying in the center.  _ How did he even sleep like that? _

Sasuke looked over at the desk, which had papers and books in precarious piles. He wasn’t sure how the idiot could find anything on his side of the room. His dresser was a mess, covered in what Sasuke thought to be baby powder. His deodorant laid on its side with the lid only partially closed.  _ He’s probably the kind of guy that uses a 3-in-1 soap, too _ , Sasuke thought, rolling his eyes.  _ I don’t even think he owns a brush _ . 

He looked over at Naruto’s closet. Everything was so bright. He never met someone who wore  _ so much orange _ . If it wasn’t orange, it was bright blue or white, with the occasional black T-shirt. He was the complete opposite of Sasuke. And it was annoying. 

Sasuke heard the door click and quickly rolled over to face the wall, pretending to be asleep. Naruto walked into the room, quietly shutting the door. He dropped his bag on the floor and walked over to his desk.

_ Definitely _ , Sasuke thought.  _ He is definitely wearing my cologne _ . He scowled.

Naruto picked up his alarm clock (it was a frog. How stupid) and set it for the following morning. He walked back towards his closet, where he kicked off his shoes and stripped down to his boxers. He picked up the pink “Riki’s” shirt and threw it in the trash can before collapsing on his bed. Naruto grabbed his pillow and buried his face in it.

After a few moments of silence, Sasuke quietly asked “Are you awake?”

Naruto grunted and mumbled something into his pillow.

“Tch.” 

It was silent again.

Sasuke sighed. “I’m free on Wednesday nights. We can meet then.”

More silence.

“You aren’t going to ask if I'm free?” Naruto grumbled.

Sasuke huffed and sat upright. “Are you free?” he asked, thoroughly irritated.

“I am now.” 

“Idiot.” Sasuke laid back down, pulling his blankets up to his chin. 

“I lost my job,” Naruto muttered. 

Sasuke wasn’t sure he was supposed to hear that. Maybe Naruto thought he was asleep already. Naruto started to sniffle. After a few sniffs, he got silent. 

_ Did he cry himself to sleep? _ Sasuke thought.  _ Whatever. I don’t care. _

  
  



	4. My Partner, the Murderous Druglord

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I don't own Naruto. No Naruto characters were harmed in the making of this fic.

Iruka-sensei’s class had just ended. He seemed like he was in a better mood today, and, as the students left, he politely reminded them about their new due date for their writing assignment. Either way, it’s not like it mattered to Sasuke. He didn’t care if Iruka-sensei was pleased or not. 

Like usual, Sasuke was the first one out of the classroom. He never stuck around to talk to the teacher, nor did he wait for any friends. He didn’t even have friends in the class. 

Sasuke yawned. He didn’t sleep well last night. In fact, he barely slept at all, which was just great, considering he had swim practice bright and early.  _ Maybe I should start taking melatonin _ , he thought, fighting the urge to rub his eyes. He slipped his AirPods out of his pocket and shoved them in his ears.  _ Pierce the Veil or Tchaikovsky? _ he thought, scrolling through his playlists. Just as he was about to decide, he heard Sakura shouting. 

“What do you mean you quit?!” she yelled. 

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder ever so slightly. Not that he was interested. 

Naruto had his ears covered and was wincing at Sakura’s voice.

“Man, Sakura. Not so loud,” he groaned. 

“It was a good job, you said so yourself,” she rebuked.

“It was fine. The owner was creepy though. And not very nice, ya know,” Naruto continued.

“So why did you quit?”

Naruto sighed.

_ Great,  _ Sasuke thought.  _ This means he’s going to be in the dorm more often. I guess I’ll just study at the library. _

“One of the other employees accused me of stealing from the cash register,” Naruto mumbled.

Sakura looked shocked. “What do you mean? Who?!”

“Just what I said,” Naruto said, firmly. “Mizuki said he saw me take money out of the register during my shift and got some other employees to back him up.”

Sakura was fuming. “Did you defend yourself?!”

“Of course I did! But when it’s my word against everyone else’s, who do you think Riki was going to side with?!”

Sakura sighed and placed her hand on Naruto’s shoulder. 

“It’s fine,” he pouted. “It was a shitty restaurant anyways.” 

Naruto glanced up and saw Sasuke looking over his shoulder. Sasuke tried to pretend he was focusing on his music (which still wasn’t playing). Apparently, he wasn’t convincing enough, because he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Sasuke!” Naruto exclaimed. “We’re still on for tonight, right?”

_ What is he grinning at? _ Sasuke frowned. 

“Yeah,” he said stoically. “Library at six.”

“Why can’t we just meet in our dorm?”

Sasuke ignored the question. He turned down a different sidewalk in hopes of escaping his overly pleasant roommate. It worked.

Sasuke sighed once he was alone. He looked down at his phone again.  _ Definitely Tchaikovsky _ . As he went to turn the music on, he bumped into someone’s shoulder.

“Sasuke?” came an all too familiar voice. 

He stopped in his tracks. “Hi, Shisui,” he said, trying not to sound annoyed.

Shisui wrapped his arm around his neck, trying to pull Sasuke in for a hug. 

“What are you doing here?” he grunted, trying to break out of Shisui’s grip.

“I’m on patrol,” Shisui smiled. He wasn’t letting go. “How are you doing? You headed to class.”

“Yeah,” Sasuke said, curtly. 

“I’ll walk with you!” 

“That’s okay, really,” Sasuke said, breaking out of his grip. “My class is right here.” He pointed at the building to the right of him. 

“Oh,” Shisui sulked. 

Sasuke turned to walk into the building.

“Hey, Sasuke?”

“Yeah?”

“You should come over for dinner some time. I’ll make something with tomatoes!”

Sasuke shrugged. “I’ll think about it,” he muttered before walking through the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Akatsuki house was located right across from the dining hall, and was the farthest from any of the academic buildings. It was really convenient for weekends, but not so much for the TAs who taught 8am classes. Shisui was pretty sure the house was only for TAs—and that one random art professor—but he wasn’t sure why he still lived there. 

Shisui hopped up the steps to the bright red door. He smirked and slammed on the door.

“Konoha police, open up,” he shouted in his best police officer voice. 

Behind the door, he could hear Kisame cackle. The lock clicked and Itachi pulled the door open. 

Shisui had positioned himself in (what he thought to be) his most flirtatious stance. He had an elbow leaning against the doorframe and his hand on his head.

“Hey,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows. 

Itachi was unimpressed. “Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“I’m on lunch and thought I’d come see my loving boyfriend.”

Itachi pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Well, I like seeing you,” Kisame teased, walking out the door.

“Bye, dear,” Shisui called after him. “See? Kisame likes me,” he said, turning back to Itachi. 

Itachi shook his head before pulling Shisui down and smashing their lips together. Itachi wrapped his arms around his neck and slipped his tongue into his mouth. Shisui’s hands rested on Itachi’s hips, pulling him close, so their chests were pressed against each other. 

Itachi broke the kiss first, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's. “Hi,” he breathed.

“Hi,” Shisui replied, his cheeks turning red. 

Itachi put his head on his shoulder and nuzzled into his neck.

“Man,” Shisui sighed, defeated. “You’re being really cute today.” He kissed Itachi’s head. 

“I missed you,” Itachi muttered, pulling him onto the couch and snuggling into him.

“You wouldn’t have to miss me if you just moved in with me,” Shisui mumbled, running his fingers through Itachi’s ponytail. 

“I would get nothing done. Besides, the school pays for my housing.”

Shisui nodded. He had heard this song before. He tried to get Itachi to move into his apartment during his boyfriend’s senior year, but was turned down. Itachi insisted it was because he wanted to wait until he graduated—which was now over a year ago. Now it was after he got his Master’s degree. Shisui was positive that Itachi had other reasons he didn’t want to share. He knew that Itachi wanted their relationship to be fully accepted by everyone, especially Sasuke. And if he moved out of the main house, he no longer had an excuse to see his estranged brother. Shisui understood that, which is why he was willing to wait. Besides, Itachi usually stayed with him over weekends. He had a toothbrush at Shisui’s, along with half of his wardrobe and some of his books. He pretty much lived there, without  _ actually _ living there. Maybe Shisui was being selfish, but he couldn’t help it. He just loved waking up next to Itachi, and having breakfast together, and going to bed together. Shisui wanted to spend the rest of his life with him, but he wouldn’t ask for that. Not yet.

“I ran into Sasuke today,” Shisui said, snapping out of his trance.

“Hm?” Itachi mused, half asleep. 

“I told him he should come over for dinner some time.”

“What did he say?” He now had Itachi’s undivided attention.

“He’ll think about it. Which is better than I was expecting, if I’m being completely honest.”

Itachi let out a small, half-hearted chuckle. 

“He’ll come around,” Shisui added.

“I know,” Itachi said, snuggling back into Shisui’s neck. 

Shisui’s eyes got wide as Itachi placed a warm, slow kiss against his throat. 

“How long is your break?” he asked, placing another kiss against his collarbone.

Shisui swallowed. “I have about twenty minutes left.”  _ Five years of dating and I still never know what to do when Itachi flips his switch. _

Itachi hummed against his neck, gripping his thigh with a free hand. 

Shisui kissed Itachi’s head one more time, before flipping him onto his back on the couch. 

Itachi put his hand on Shisui’s face. “I love you,” he said. 

“I know,” Shisui smirked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kiba walked into the library just before 7pm. Kankuro had agreed to meet with him (finally), but he wasn’t flexible on times or locations.  _ Typical _ , Kiba thought, trudging over to the front desk. He was greeted by the strange man in the mask, who he guessed was now a librarian? 

“Where’s the computer lab?” he asked, squinting skeptically at the man. 

The masked man pointed to the staircase without looking up from his book. “Down the stairs, to the left.”

“Thanks,” Kiba grumbled.  _ Why was everyone so weird? _

As he made his way down the stairs, Kiba felt his stomach drop.  _ Why am I nervous? _ he thought.  _ He’s just a guy who I have to do a project with. Nothing more. Ino was just spouting off rumors, right?  _ He reached the bottom stair.  _ Oh god, what if Ino’s right? What if he  _ is _ a murderous drug lord and he wants to turn me into one of his lackies? _ He took a deep breath before opening the door to the lab. 

The room was smaller than he expected. There were a bunch of desktops lined along all three walls, pushed uncomfortably close together. Next to the door was a large printer that looked like it just left 2003 and a small table, covered in various hole punchers and staplers. The room was completely empty except for one person.

Kankuro sat in the far corner of the room with his headphones in, completely engrossed in a comically grotesque horror movie. 

“Kankuro?” Kiba asks, moving closer to him.

He doesn’t respond.

“Kankuro,” he says louder.

Still no response. 

Irritated, Kiba drops his bag on the ground and leans over Kankuro’s shoulder so his lips are lined up with his ear. He scowled. “President’s Day? Really?”

Kankuro jumped, yanking his headphones out of his ears. 

“Jesus Christ, just say you’re here!” he shouted.

“I did,” Kiba said with a cunning grin. “You didn’t answer.”

“Then say it louder!”

Kiba laughed.  _ He’s really not that scary. _

Kankuro was still trying to hide how flustered he was, turning the computer off and angrily unplugging his headphones. “Whatever,” he mumbled. “Let's just get this over with.”

Kiba sat down beside him, refusing to hide his grin. They both sat in silence as they rummaged through the bags for their papers. Kankuro was muttering something under his breath, which Kiba assumed to be curses as he searched through his messy bag. 

“I can’t believe I scared you,” he finally says, setting his paper on the desk.

“You didn’t scare me,” Kankuro said, glaring at him.

“So the movie scared you?” Kiba smirked.  _ Oh, this is going to be fun _ . 

“The movie didn’t scare me, either!” Kankuro shouted.

“Better not have. It’s a lame movie.”

“Yeah, I know, it’s—” Kankuro stopped, his dark eyes growing wide. “You’ve seen it?” Kankuro asks. It was hard to tell through all of the eyeliner, but Kiba was pretty sure Kankuro was excited.

“Yeah, but like I said, it’s lame,” Kiba added, throwing his hands behind his head and leaning back. “If you’re going to watch bad horror, at least watch  _ good _ bad horror.”

“Oh, so now you’re an expert?” Kankuro asked, irritated. 

“I’m just saying, I’ve seen a lot of bad horror,” Kiba added, snidely. 

“So have I!” 

“And you still jumped like a scaredy cat!”

“I didn’t jump!”

Kiba laughed, grabbing onto his stomach.  _ When was the last time I laughed this hard? _

“Gimme your fucking paper,” Kankuro grumbled, yanking the paper away from him. 

Kiba shook his head, still chuckling, and pulled Kankuro’s paper in front of him. They sat in silence, making corrections, and Kiba just couldn’t help himself. He made his voice as quiet as possible. 

“Meow.”

Kankuro slammed his palms against the table, red with rage. 

“Fine, then, what does that make you?” he shouted with a grin. “You were so afraid of  _ me _ that you couldn’t even ask to meet up!”

“No I wasn’t,” Kiba shouted, embarrassed.

“You said I looked like I lit things on fire as a kid!”

“Well, did you?” 

“That’s not the point!”

Kiba lost it. Every ounce of self control left his body and he laughed like he had never laughed before. 

“Quit laughing!” Kankuro yelled, throwing a pencil at him. 

Kiba could feel tears in his eyes. Every time he would gain some control back, he would just think about a little kid wearing lots of eyeliner lighting lawns on fire and would lose it again. His ribcage was starting to hurt.

Kankuro let out a frustrated sigh. “Here,” he said, shoving Kiba’s paper back over to him. 

“What the hell does this mean?” Kiba said, gesturing to the large ‘X’ that covered the entire first page. 

“It means it’s bad.”

“It’s not that bad!”

“It looks like a dog wrote it.”

“That’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“Not at all, dog breath.” 

Kiba’s jaw dropped at the insult, or more so at Kankuro’s reaction. He was smiling.  _ I didn’t think he could do that _ , Kiba thought. 

“Hey!” he said, remembering he had just been insulted. “I don’t have dog breath.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Kankuro said smugly, putting his paper back in his bag. 

Kiba fought the urge to smell his breath while Kankuro was still looking at him.  _ Shit, is it really that bad? _

Kankuro laughed. “My shift’s over. Get out,” he said, turning off the lights. 

Kiba looked at the clock.  _ It’s already after 8? _ Kiba scrambled to gather his things and Kankuro shook his head. 

“Later, mutt,” Kankuro added as he left. 

Kiba couldn’t help but smile.  _ He’s not that freaky after all _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the kudos and the hits! Things are finally going to start happening in upcoming chapters :)


	5. Half-Asleep in a Bowl of Chips

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own these characters :)

Shikamaru had been meeting with Temari for a few weeks now. It all started as a one night stand the night before the semester began. He told Choji he needed a smoke and wandered off from whatever weird freshman orientation game was happening that night. He was propped up against one of the academic buildings, staring at the night sky, when she approached him. The first thing he noticed was her legs. They were long and muscular, accentuated perfectly by a short, lavender skirt. He didn’t really remember how the conversation started, but it ended with her dragging him to a party at a senior’s house. He wasn’t the partying type, so he had just sat on a couch with a beer for most of the evening. Everything after that was kind of a blur. That is, until he started to leave and Temari found him one more time. 

So, Ino was right, in a sense. He did ditch his friends to get laid—but it wasn’t in a basement—it was in a car. Temari’s car, in fact. They somehow managed to squeeze into the very cramped backseat of a dark red Pontiac Vibe that was parked in a student lot. He hoped nobody saw them, but he also didn’t care if they did. Temari was hot, quick, and to the point. Once she had finished, she climbed off of him and told him to head home. Now that he thought about it, he didn’t think they knew each other’s names yet. He smirked.

Shikamaru had never really planned on seeing her again. And considering how quickly she kicked him out of her car, he didn’t think she  _ wanted _ to see him again. But fate had a sick sense of humor. 

He remembered the face she made when he walked into their shared Thursday night seminar. It shifted from confusion to anger to embarrassment within a matter of seconds. However, it went back to anger when he introduced himself as a freshman. After the class was over, she pulled him aside and told him to never mention their one-night stand. Again, he’s not sure how it happened. One minute they were insulting each other, and the next they were having sex in one of the unisex bathrooms. 

They ran into each other one more time that same weekend. She eventually invited him back to her empty apartment and who was he to refuse? She definitely lived with people. At least two others, by the look of it, but Shikamaru could have cared less. 

She insisted that was going to be the last time, but he didn’t believe her. He told her he was just a poor, unsuspecting freshman, and she should take responsibility.  _ Is that why you cried in the car? _ she asked, mockingly. He’ll never forget her look of sheer pride when she found out she was his first. It was actually kind of cute—but he’d never tell her that. After a few jokes about “deflowering” him, she finally said  _ fine, I’ll take responsibility _ . That’s how sex with a random stranger turned into his first real relationship (and no, dating Ino in kindergarten didn’t count). 

This was all really weird to him. He didn’t want a girlfriend in college (or ever, to be perfectly honest). Hell, he barely wanted to go to college. But there was something different about Temari. Something that got him fired up in a way no other woman had. She would mock him, get under his skin, yell (a lot), yet somehow he couldn’t get his mind off of her. Damn, he was starting to sound like Ino now. Which is exactly  _ why _ he wasn’t telling his friends about her. He knew that once Ino and Temari met each other, it would all be over for him. And besides, he kind of liked keeping Temari all to himself. 

When he got to the cafe, she was already sitting at the table drinking one of those god awful teas that she enjoyed so much. 

“Hey, crybaby,” she smirked, taking a sip of her tea.

He rolled his eyes. “Troublesome woman.” 

He sat with her, not bothering to order a drink. She droned on about the current political climate (that is her major, after all), and he would occasionally nod like he was actually listening. 

She was in the middle of some rant about Suna’s policies, and how they really should start changing with the times, when Shikamaru cut her off.

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asked.

“No,” she frowned. “You just got here. And besides, both of my brothers are home today.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Now he was frowning. 

“Oh?” she said, leaning across the table. “Then what did you mean?” She was toying with him. He could tell. 

He sighed and stood up. “Have you ever watched the clouds?” he asked, extending his hand. 

She raised an eyebrow and all but glared at him for a few moments. Finally, she sighed and took his hand. He smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_ This is the worst _ , Sakura thought, looking at the quiz she had barely passed. She hung her head as she, Ino, and Kiba exited Orochimaru’s Biology class.  _ So much for the weekend. I need to study more if I ever want to pass this class.  _

She looked over at Ino and Kiba, who both had equally horrified faces.  _ They’re definitely in the same boat _ , Sakura thought. 

“This is terrible,” Ino whined. “At this rate, we’ll never graduate.”

“Isn’t that a little overdramatic?” Kiba asked, stuffing his quiz into his laptop bag. 

“At this rate, I should just drop out,” Ino continued, ignoring Kiba. 

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Now you’re definitely being overdramatic.”

“But—”

“It is  _ one quiz _ ,” Sakura added, firmly. “You do not need to quit school because of one bad grade. 

“Easy for you to say,” Ino complained, yanking Sakura’s quiz out of her hands. “You at least passed.”

Sakura looked over at the two quizzes and squinted. “Ino, we have the same grade.”

“That’s the worst part!” Ino exclaimed.

Sakura’s jaw dropped.  _ She never ceases to amaze me, that for sure _ . She took her quiz back and stuffed it into the pocket of her bag. 

“We’re doomed,” Ino continued, lowering her head.

“That’s not true,” Sakura said, patting her friend’s back and trying not to roll her eyes. “Right, Kiba?”

“Huh?” Kiba asked, looking up. He pulled his phone against his chest and Sakura was  _ sure _ that he was smiling.

“What are you smiling at?” Ino growled, pointing a finger at him.

“I—nothing, why?” Kiba was trying not to look flustered. It wasn’t working.

“Who are you texting,” Sakura asked, coyly.

“No one.”

“Is it a girl?” Ino teased.

“No,” Kiba said, firmly. “Just a friend. We’re gonna hang out tonight.”

“You have friends?” Shino asked from behind them. 

Everyone jumped.  _ How long has he been following us?!  _ Sakura thought.

“Of course I have friends,” Kiba barked, his cheeks turning red. “What the hell do you think you are?”

Shino shrugged.

“He’s blushing!” Ino squealed. “It’s definitely a girl.”

“It’s not a girl!” Kiba shouted. 

“Fine, it’s a guy, we don’t judge.”

“Ino!” Kiba bellowed. “It’s just a classmate. We’re meeting up to watch a movie. That’s it.”

“Oh?” Sakura implied, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“Fine, then, what’s your  _ friend’s _ name?” Ino asked, making air quotes when she said “friend.”

“It’s just a classmate,” Kiba huffed, throwing his hands behind his head. “You already know him.”

Sakura raised an eyebrow.

“My writing partner,” Kiba added.

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Ino screamed, causing Kiba and Sakura to cover their ears. Shino seemed unphased.

“Jeez, Ino,” Sakura grumbled.

“You’re meeting up with the scary murder guy?!” Ino continued.

“He has a name,” Kiba mumbled.

“The guy who creeped you out so much that you wouldn’t meet with him?” Shino asked, matter of factly. 

“He didn’t creep me out, he was just… intimidating—and, hey!” Kiba shouted at Shino. “Who’s side are you on, anyways?!”

“So you’re friends now?” Sakura asked with a genuine smile.

“Barely,” Kiba muttered. “We just like the same kind of movies.”

Sakura looked over at Ino who was smiling back at her. They both looked at Kiba again, looked back at each other, and giggled.

“What?” Kiba asked, annoyed. 

“It’s nothing,” Ino added, grinning from ear to ear. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gaara walked along the path leading to the athletic fields, just as the sun was going down. The sky was slowly changing from a clear blue to a mix of yellows and pinks. He thought it was beautiful. Whenever he had the time, Gaara would go for walks at sunset just to look at the changing sky. Something about it filled his heart with joy. This was his typical Friday night routine. He would usually go for a walk, watch the sky, go find food at one of the shops in town, and return home. Although, he really didn’t want to go back to his apartment yet. Kankuro had invited Kiba over to watch one of those god awful horror movies he loved so much. They invited Gaara to join them, and he made an excuse saying he had plans. The truth was, Kankuro and Kiba were both very loud individuals on their own, and he really didn’t want to have to listen to them scream-talk to each other. Even Temari fled when she heard they were spending time together.

_ She’s probably with her new boyfriend that we aren’t supposed to know about _ , Gaara thought as he passed the main stadium. 

He must have been looking up at the sky again, because he didn’t notice Tenten until he walked directly into her back. She didn’t budge, but somehow Gaara wound up on the ground. 

“What the—” she said, turning around. “Gaara? Are you okay?” she asked, reaching down to help him up.   
He grabbed her hand and she pulled him with such force that he almost fell on top of her. 

“What’re you doing over here?” she asked with a smile.

“I was just—”

“Tenten!” Lee shouted as he and Neji exited the stadium. 

“You didn’t wait for us,” Neji added. 

Judging by their clothes, they had just finished their afternoon practice. Tenten was dressed in a pair of bright pink shorts and a white jacket that was obviously too big for her, Neji wore a grey T-shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts, and Lee… 

Gaara’s eyes widened when he noticed Lee’s bright green running shorts. And they were… very short. He was wearing a matching green jacket and carrying a pair of pants in the same color. Bright orange socks covered his shins and clashed horribly with his blue sneakers. 

“Lee…” Tenten said, with a disgusted face. “Couldn’t you at least put the pants on?”

“But Tenten, it is a beautiful day! I wanted to let my skin breathe and soak up what is left of the sun,” Lee beamed. 

Neji huffed. 

“But we were outside for three hours,” Tenten added. 

“Don’t bother,” Neji said, holding his head. 

“GAARA!” Lee yelled, only just noticing his redheaded friend. “What are you doing here?”

Lee tried to give Gaara a hug, but Neji grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and glared at him. 

_ Thank you, Neji _ , Gaara thought, still holding his hands up in protest. 

Lee gasped. “What happened to your hands?!” he shouted, pointing at the small scrapes on Gaara’s hands. 

_ They must’ve happened when I fell _ , Gaara thought, looking at his palms. “It’s nothing.”

“You should have them bandaged! The trainer—”

“Really, it’s fine.”

“But I don’t want you to suffer in pain all night!”

“Lee, they’re just scrapes,” Tenten sighed. “It didn’t even break the skin.”

“But—”

“Lee!” Neji and Tenten shouted.

Lee hung his head with a pout. 

_ Suffer in pain... ? _ Gaara thought, still looking at his hands.

“Did you eat yet?” Tenten asked, trying to make eye contact with Gaara.

“Uh… no. I was just going to grab something later—”

“You should join us for dinner!” Lee bellowed, brightening up yet again. 

“I wouldn’t want to interrupt your plans…” Gaara trailed off.

“You wouldn’t be,” Neji added. 

“I—”

“Come on,” Tenten insisted. “It’ll be Lee’s treat.”

Gaara didn’t know what to say. He must have said something because he wound up stuffed in a booth, next to Lee, at Ichiraku’s. Neji and Tenten sat across from them, quietly discussing what they wanted to order. 

“Have you ever been here before?” Lee asked.

“Uh, no, I haven’t,” Gaara said, looking at the small menu. 

“They have the best ramen in Konoha,” Tenten chimed in. 

Gaara nodded silently. 

A waitress came over and took their order. Gaara decided to try the  _ miso chashu  _ ramen, per Lee’s suggestion. 

“Gaara,” Lee began, staring intently at Gaara. “I worry that we still do not know each other well enough. I hope this gives us an opportunity to discuss interests with one another!” 

Gaara nodded slowly, Neji rolled his eyes, and Tenten buried her head in her hands. 

“What do you like to do in your free time?” Lee asked with small fires burning in his eyes.

“Uh… I mainly just do schoolwork,” Gaara said, looking over at Tenten who was thoroughly embarrassed for him. 

“I see. Do you have a favorite color?”

“I’m not sure?”

“What do you like besides doing schoolwork?”

“Cacti, I guess?”

“What about—ow!” Lee yelped as Neji kicked him under the table. 

“Give it a rest, Lee,” Tenten whined in a defeated voice.

_ Please get me out of here _ , Gaara thought.

“Here you go!” the waitress said, placing four large bowls on the table. “Enjoy!”

Gaara and Tenten sighed in relief as Lee quickly stuffed his mouth full of noodles. 

“Delicious!” Lee exclaimed, tears streaming down his face.

“Do you have to cry every time?” Neji asked, unamused. 

Gaara watched as Neji nonchalantly moved his fishcake into Tenten’s bowl. She smiled and swayed against him, as if she was thanking him. He didn’t react. 

When they were finished, Gaara, Neji, and Tenten waited outside while Lee paid the bill. Gaara had never had ramen like that.  _ That was… incredible _ , he thought. 

The walk back to campus was fairly quiet. Tenten had looped her arm with Neji’s and they were discussing something. Gaara and Lee walked behind them in silence (which Lee was clearly struggling with). Gaara sighed and stopped when the other three turned towards the dorms.

“Is something wrong?” Lee asked, leaning in front of him. 

“No, I just have to go that way,” Gaara replied, pointing in the opposite direction.

“Are you not going to the dorms?”

“No, I’m going home. My apartment is on the other side of campus,” Gaara said, turning to leave.

“Then I shall accompany you!” Lee said, running up next to him. “I will see you both later,” he added, waving to the others.

“You don’t have to—”

“It is quite alright. I could use the exercise!”

_ But didn’t you just have practice? _ Gaara thought to himself. 

It was finally dark now. Gaara looked up at the sky again, but saw nothing but darkness, illuminated by fluorescent street lamps.

“They aren’t easy to see here,” he mumbled.

“What aren’t?”

“The stars.”

Lee tilted his head back. “I suppose you are right.” 

“They’re easier to see in Suna,” Gaara continued.

“Is that where you are from?”

“Yeah…”

Lee nodded. “Gaara, I apologize if I have made you uncomfortable yet again. I did not mean to—” 

“You never told me anything about yourself,” Gaara interrupted, still looking at the sky.

“I—what?” Lee asked, raising a large eyebrow. 

“You asked me where I am from, my favorite color, my hobbies… but you never said anything about yourself.”

“I see,” Lee nodded. “Well, I grew up here in Konoha. My favorite color is definitely green, but orange is a close second! And hobbies… well, I like exercise and pushing myself to the limits! If I can not do 100 pushups today, I will do 200 tomorrow!” he stated, giving Gaara a thumbs up.

Gaara smiled ever so slightly. “It’s right here,” he said, pointing at the small apartment complex. “I live in 103.”

“I see,” Lee said again. 

“Good night, Lee.”

“Gaara!” Lee said, grabbing his hands. “We should spend more time together! I have enjoyed getting to know you and hope we continue to be friends!”

A faint blush crept over Gaara’s cheeks. “Fine,” he mumbled, looking away. 

“Then it is settled! I will see you again, hopefully soon,” Lee added, running back towards the dorms. 

Gaara stood at the door with his mouth open in… shock? Confusion? He wasn’t entirely sure. 

“What are you doing standing outside?” Temari asked, walking up next to him. 

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Easy, smartass. I just got back.”

“As did I,” Gaara added, stepping inside. 

Kankuro was spread out on the couch, half asleep, with a bowl of chips on his chest. 

“No Kiba?” Temari asked. 

“He just left a little while ago. And where have you two been? Do you have any idea what time it is?” he asked, mockingly.

“It’s barely 10pm,  _ mom _ ,” Temari said, flicking the lights on and nearly blinding both brothers. 

“I’m going to bed,” Gaara said, walking towards his room.

“Me too,” Kankuro added, sitting upright.

“Wait a minute,” Temari said, beckoning him over to her. “Who was the odd looking guy that was at the door with you?” she asked Gaara before turning to Kankuro. “Clean up first. And since when do you go to bed before 2am on a  _ Friday _ ?”

“I’m just tired, that’s all,” Kankuro mumbled as he picked up the copious amount of snacks that were sprawled over the table. 

“That was Lee. He’s my friend,” Gaara said, before quickly ducking into the bathroom.

“What are you smiling at?” Kankuro said, glaring at Temari. 

“Nothing,” she mused. “I’m just glad you guys are making friends.”

Kankuro rolled his eyes and threw a pretzel at her. 

“Take your pills!” Temari shouted through the door.

“I know,” Gaara huffed.

“You’re awfully bossy tonight,” Kankuro added. 

She rolled her eyes. Kankuro noticed that she was waiting for the bathroom and quickly dove in it as soon as Gaara came out. 

“Kankuro!”

Gaara climbed up the side of the bunk bed and landed on the top with a thud.  _ I forgot the lights… _ he thought, looking over at the switch. 

Their room was small. It had one bunk bed, a single dresser that they shared, and a desk for working on schoolwork. They kept their nicer clothes in what should be the small coat closet and put most of their other belongings under the bed. There were three narrow shelves above the desk, which was home to Gaara’s books and Kankuro’s DVDs. The apartment was a significant change from their life in Suna, but Gaara was more than happy to be stuffed in a small bedroom with his older brother. Especially if it meant getting out of  _ there _ . 

Gaara was almost asleep when Kankuro came into the room. He grumbled something before standing on the lower bunk and pulling a blanket over his younger brother. Gaara tried not to smile.  _ The big, scary, doting brother _ , as Temari liked to put it. 

Kankuro shut off the lights and climbed into his bed. Gaara could see the dim light from his phone against the wall, and he smirked.  _ There is no way Kankuro was actually tired _ . 

Gaara flipped onto his back and stared at the ceiling. “Hey, Kankuro?” he asked quietly. “Am I strange?”

“Yes,” Kankuro said, without skipping a beat. 

Gaara frowned. 

“But we’re all bound to be a little fucked up after the shit we went through.”

Gaara hummed in agreement. 

“So where did you disappear to? I didn’t see you all night.”

“You were busy.”

“And you were invited.”

Gaara let out a small “heh.”

“Well?” Kankuro pressed.

“I went for a walk, ran into some...friends, and we went to dinner. And then we just stayed at the restaurant for a while. It was… nice.”

Kankuro let out a sigh of relief. “It sounds nice. It’s good to get out of the apartment once in a while.”

Gaara hummed again.

“Are you actually tired?” he asked.

“Kinda?” Kankuro responded. “We watched three movies and I haven’t laughed that hard in a while. My stomach hurts,” he added with a laugh. 

“That’s good,” Gaara replied. 

“You know, he used to be scared of me,” Kankuro added, proudly. 

“You look scary.”

“I do not.”

“You look like dad.”

“So do you!” Kankuro huffed. 

Gaara was silent for a few moments before he whispered “I’m not the one that looks like a murderous drug lord.”

“Like a what?!” Kankuro snapped. 

Gaara laughed to himself and rolled onto his side. The sleeping pills were kicking in. 

“Good night, Kankuro,” he said one more time, before drifting off to sleep. 

  
  



	6. Chickens in the Pool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own these characters or the Naruto franchise :(

Tenten yawned, stretching out on Neji’s bed, turning the pages of her book absentmindedly. _Who knew Melville could be so boring_ , she thought sarcastically, flipping to the next page. _Maybe I’ll just read the Sparknotes_. She looked over at the back of Neji’s head and smiled. This was their usual routine—sitting in one of their dorms, silently working on assignments, and occasionally glancing at each other. He was in the school’s honors program, which supplied him with a mountain of work, and Tenten’s dual major left little time for the two of them to just relax together. Sometimes, she would place her hand on his shoulder and he would reach up, lacing their fingers. Other times, she would subconsciously play with his hair while trying to think of ideas for her next paper. To other couples, their relationship would seem boring, but to Tenten, it was nice.

Neji sat on the floor in front of her, with his back pressed against the side of the bed. Papers and notebooks were sprawled out in front of him and his textbook laid between his crossed legs. He had been studying vigorously for an upcoming exam for over four hours now. Tenten tried touching his shoulder, but he didn’t seem to notice her. _He’s probably just focused on his work_ , she thought, pulling her hand back. _It’s nothing, right?_

In all honesty, Tenten thought Neji was acting a little different lately. He seemed more distant, both emotionally and physically. He typically sat next between her and Lee during Iruka-sensei’s class, but lately it seemed like he was leaving more space between them and moving closer to Lee. It was the same at lunch. And at practice. He would avoid her gaze and wouldn’t even hold her hand unless she moved first. _But that’s just how Neji is_ , she thought. _He’s always been like this, right?_ She knew she was making something out of nothing. She _had_ to be… right? 

Neji was never the “lovey-dovey” type. In fact, he didn’t even seem like the dating type, which is probably why so many people were surprised to learn he had a girlfriend. It’s not like she was dating him because of his charm. If anything, he came off as a bit of a snob—a talented snob—but a snob, nonetheless. 

It’s not like they started dating after weeks of pining after each other—they were friends. During the first week of track, he seemed like he was too good to be there. He had no interest in making friends with his teammates, he just wanted to show off his talent. Tenten thought he was completely full of himself until she saw him vault for the first time. He crossed over the bar with such grace that it took her breath away. She wondered if he had the same reaction when he saw her throw a javelin. _Probably not_ , she laughed to herself. They really didn’t talk to each other until Lee dragged Neji over to her and insisted that the three of them should be friends. It’s not like she was going to say no.

The three of them started hanging out a lot outside of practice. Sometimes, Lee would go do extra training and leave just her and Neji together. And then, one night, they were walking back to the dorms and Tenten tripped over the curb. Neji helped her up and didn’t let go of her hand until they reached their destination. As he said goodnight to her, Tenten grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him in for a kiss. That was one of the only times she saw him turn bright red, like his cousin Hinata. _Maybe it was a family trait?_ When they told Lee, he cried in excitement, declaring that they were perfect for each other. 

But now, Neji was just acting differently. She ran her hand through his silky-smooth hair. There were never any knots, and she wasn’t sure how he managed that with such long locks. 

“Neji,” she hummed, quietly.

Nothing.

_Is schoolwork that distracting?_

“Neji,” she said a little louder.

Still nothing.

_Really?_

She sighed, closing her book and sitting upright. “I think I’m going to head out.”

“Hm?” asked, snapping out of his trance. “What, why?”

“You seem busy,” she said, trying not to pout.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. He frowned and turned back to his work.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, stuffing her books in her bag.

He shook his head slightly. “No.”

She nodded, pursing her lips. “Are you sure?” she asked, reaching for her sandals

“Positive.”

“Huh.” She zipped the back of her shoe and stared at the back of his head. _Does he really have nothing to say?_

“Are you bored with me?” _Shit_. She didn’t want to say that outloud. 

Neji turned around, pale eyes wide with confusion. “Of course not. Why would you even suggest that?”

She shrugged. “You just seem… I don’t know…” she trailed off.

He stood up and leaned against the bed. “It’s not that. I just… have a lot of things on my mind,” he said, quietly.

“What kind of things?”

“Things you don’t need to worry about.”

He was trying to comfort her. She knew that. But in reality, he was just pissing her off even more. “Fine,” she finally said, walking towards the door.

“Tenten,” he sighed, following her to the door.

“What?” she snapped. 

He leaned his forehead against hers before placing a gentle kiss against her lips. “I love you,” he mumbled.

This was new. Neji _never_ initiated anything physical. At most, he’d reach for her hand, but even that was uncommon. 

“I love you, too,” she whispered as he pulled away. 

“Stay?” he asked in the softest voice.

“Neji,” she sighed.

He cut her off, pressing his lips against hers again. She dropped her bag on the ground and placed her hand on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. His hands traced down her back and settled right at her hips. His thumbs brushed up under her shirt, caressing her bare skin. 

They never really went farther than this; passionate kisses and casual touching. Neji wasn’t exactly _romantic_ , and he never pushed for more than a hesitant kiss, especially after the summer. She had gone to visit him at the Hyuuga manor for a week, and, on one of the hottest nights of the year, they both disappeared into his room. It was hot, and sweaty, and really nothing like what either of them imagined it would be. She was pretty sure Hinata covered for them, because Hanabi asked how Tenten was feeling the next day (because she had a heat stroke. Obviously). 

His hands slid up a little farther, resting on her bare back. They broke apart, trying to catch their breath. His eyes were hazy with desire, their look causing Tenten’s heart to beat even faster. 

She cupped his face in her hands and pulled his face back to hers. She tilted her head slightly, and slipped her tongue into his mouth. His hands held onto her waist firmly, as he carefully tried to keep their bodies from touching. He relented, answering her kiss with his own tongue just as the door swung open.

“Hellow, my youthful coll—Oh!” Lee bellowed. 

Neji pulled away from Tenten, his face shifting from irritated to embarrassed. Tenten’s face was bright red, her eyes wide with horror. _A few minutes later and what exactly would he have seen?!_ she thought.

“IMSOSORRY!” Lee yelped, yanking the door shut. “Please forgive me, I did not mean to intrude on your blossoming spring!” he shouted through the door.

Neji closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“I should go,” Tenten laughed.

“That’s probably for the best,” Neji huffed, reluctantly.

He picked up her bag and handed it to her with apologetic eyes. She smiled and stretched on her toes to kiss the tip of his nose. 

“I’ll see you later,” she smiled.

He nodded, looking away.

_He’s embarrassed_ , she thought, giggling to herself as she made her way down the hall. He was always so calm and collected—except when it came to her. And that made her love him even more. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kankuro twirled his pencil between his fingers while staring aimlessly at the clock. He was stuck in the computer lab until 8pm. How was it only 6pm? He had been sitting here for at least three hours, right? He sighed. This is why he hated working on weekends. No one ever came to use the lab on a Saturday. It was a college, people had plans on weekends. They went to parties, got drunk, had sex… or went to bed early and slept for twelve hours. But not Kankuro. No, Kankuro got stuck in the stupid lab for the fourth time this week because Omoi just happened to be “sick” the same night as Rinji’s party. _Asshole_ , Kankuro thought, tossing his pencil on the table. He sighed, glimpsing at the DVD poking out of his bag.

_I was gonna see if Kiba wanted to watch this, but I guess I can watch it now_ , he thought, picking up the case. He checked it out of the library earlier in the day. That’s how he got stuck working in here, because the old bat in charge saw him and asked if he could cover. _Typical_. He could never have anything go as planned. 

He walked back to the older computer that sat in the corner. Sure, the screen was pixelated, but it was the only computer that had a disc drive. Everything else was new, internalized hardware and it was really taking the fun out of his job. He had a routine: pick out a movie, watch it during work, and get paid for scaring off freshmen. It really was an easy job, but now he was going to have to find a new way to keep himself busy, because he was pretty sure this computer was going to disappear too. 

Just as he went to plug his headphones in, the door opened, and a short, messy-haired mutt was there to greet him. 

“What are you doing here,” Kankuro asked, stretching his arms behind his head.

“I needed to print something,” Kiba said, plopping down at a computer on the far side of the room. 

“And you came all the way to the library? What, did you miss me that much?” Kankuro smirked.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Kiba barked. “I was walking by and this was closer than any of the other printers.”

“Ah,” Kankuro said with a nod. 

Kiba silently stared at the screen, biting his lip as he typed. His face looked a little flushed, but Kankuro wasn’t sure if it was because of him or because Kiba gets fired up easily. 

_Is he wearing swim trunks?_ Kankuro thought, furrowing his brow.

“What’s with the face?” Kiba asked, glaring at him.

“I’m not making a face,” he snapped back. 

“You’re right, I forgot that you normally look like that,” Kiba laughed.

“Hey!—”

“Do you normally work on Saturdays?” Kiba continued, completely interrupting Kankuro’s train of thought.

“What?”

“Do you normally work on Saturdays?” Kiba asked slower and louder, mocking the older boy.

“I heard you the first time. Why do you care?”

“It was just a question. Are you always this defensive?”

“Are you always this pushy?”

Kiba shook his head with a grin.

“No, I don't,” Kankuro said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays are my usual days. The other guy bailed and I was lucky enough to get cornered by the old bat,” he grimaced.

“You mean the head librarian?”

“That’s what I said.”

Kiba walked over to the printer and collected the single page he had printed. “How long are you stuck here?” he asked, not looking at Kankuro.

“Until 9,” Kankuro grunted.

“Huh.”

Kiba turned to the door. “Well, I guess I’ll see you—”

“Do you want to hang here?” Kankuro interrupted. Kiba gave him a confused face and Kankuro shook his head. “I was about to watch a movie.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

“It’s fine. No one comes here, anyways.”

Kiba sighed. “What movie?”

“Chopping Mall,” Kankuro said, holding up the DVD case. 

“That sounds terrible,” Kiba laughed.

“I know,” Kankuro smiled. “So? Do you want to watch it or not?”

Kiba pursed his lips, pretending to think hard about the decision. 

“Unless you have other plans,” Kankuro added.

“I… don’t. And of course I want to watch it. What do you take me for?”

“You want an honest answer?”

Kiba glared at him again.

“Come over here, mutt,” Kankuro said, smacking the chair next to him. 

“Don’t call me ‘mutt’,” Kiba grumbled, sitting next to him. 

Kankuro handed him one of the ear buds and pressed play. He couldn’t help but smile. Kiba moved his chair closer so that their shoulders were almost touching, complaining about the terrible quality or something, but Kankuro really wasn’t sure. He was too distracted by the warmth radiating off of Kiba. He felt a slight pull in his chest but quickly cleared his throat and shifted so there was a little more space between him and the younger man, who was too engrossed in the film to notice. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Are you kidding me?” Naruto yelled, tossing his phone into the small locker.

“What?” Shikamaru asked, pulling his swim trunks on, holding his hair tie with his teeth.

“Kiba ditched us,” Naruto said, flopping on the bench. 

“His loss,” Choji added, coming out of one of the bathroom stalls.

Naruto sighed. This was the first time they had gone to the pool, and he was hoping everyone could go together. _Hell, even Sai showed up_ , he thought. Though he wasn’t sure why he was there. He figured that Sakura invited him (probably for Ino’s sake), but the guy was just weird. And insulting. 

Sai looked over at Naruto and smiled. The black trunks he wore made him look even more pale. Naruto frowned. 

“Ah, shit,” Shikamaru mumbled as his hair tie snapped. “Does anyone have an extra?”

“Just leave it down,” Choji said, eating a potato chip.

“Here,” came Neji, as he held a pack of hair bands out to Shikamaru. 

Neji’s hair was already tied on top of his head with a white band, which matched his bright white bottoms. _How did a snob like you get a girlfriend?_ Naruto thought to himself. 

“Aren’t you going to change, Gaara?” Naruto asked.

“I did.”

Naruto squinted in confusion. Gaara was still wearing an old T-shirt accompanied by a pair of maroon basketball shorts that were a size too big (maybe two). He had the tie pulled as tight as it would go and they still sagged low enough to see the top of his boxers. 

“But isn’t that a little…” Naruto continued.

“I don’t own a swimsuit. These are Kankuro’s,” Gaara added, gesturing to his shorts. 

“Gaara, you should have said something,” Lee said, putting his leg up on the bench next to Naruto. He was wearing nothing but a tight, green speedo and a towel draped over his shoulder. “I could have loaned you a suit!”

“No, that’s alright,” Gaara insisted, trying to look away. Naruto did the same. 

“Are we going in or not?” Shino asked quietly, already heading through the door. 

As they walked into the chlorine-filled space, Naruto noticed someone at one of the benches, wrapping themself in a towel.

“Sasuke,” Naruto shouted across the pool, waving to him. “We’re about to go swimming, ya know. You should join us!”

“No,” Sasuke said flatly, not even looking back at Naruto. He frowned as he watched Sasuke disappear into the locker room. 

_Jerk._

“Naruto,” Shikamaru said. He and the others were already making their way into the pool, with the exception of Neji, Shino, and Gaara, who sat on the side. “Are you getting in or not?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” he replied as he ran over and did a cannonball right next to Shikamaru. 

“Really?!” he yelled.

“Naruto,” Shino said calmly. “Did Kiba say why he wasn’t coming?”

“Nope,” he shrugged. “He just said ‘something came up.’ If you ask me, he was too embarrassed to show his face. He’s probably worried about how bad he’d look compared to a real man,” he chided, gesturing to himself. 

“There isn’t much to compare himself to,” Sai said with a grin.

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“He’s saying you have a small dick,” Choji laughed.

“I do not!” Naruto shouted, splashing him before sulking into the water. “It’s perfectly average,” he mumbled.

“If anything, you should compare yourself to him,” Sai continued, pointing at Shino. Everyone turned to Shino with raised eyebrows.

“What?” he asked.

“What are we comparing?” Sakura asked, standing on the side of the pool next to Naruto. Everyone tried to respond at once.

“Nothing!” Naruto yelped.

“I’m not sure,” Shino said.

“Don’t ask,” Neji grumbled.

“Our youthful endeavors!” Lee shouted.

“Penises,” Sai said, still grinning. 

Sakura frowned. “I’m sorry I asked.”

“Sakura, you didn’t wait for us,” Ino pouted, walking up next to her in nothing but a tight, yellow bikini. 

Most of the guys turned their heads, trying not to look at her. She looked good, and maybe that was too much for them to handle. Unlike the others, Neji was looking past her at Tenten, who wore a sports bra and a set of shorts. When she smiled at him, he quickly turned his head. 

Tenten uses that moment to jump in the water next to him, splashing water everywhere. 

“Was that necessary?” Neji says firmly, trying to wipe the water off of his abs. 

“You’re at the pool. What did you think would happen?” Shikamaru asked.

“It says ‘no jumping’ along the entire pool!” Neji argued.

“The lifeguard doesn’t seem to care,” Shino said. Neji sighed.

Naruto looked up at the lifeguard stand, where Kisame sat on duty. However, he wasn’t watching the pool. Instead, he was looking into the bag on his lap, mumbling something into it. He looked around for a moment, hoping no one was watching him, before he pulled a _live iguana_ out of the bag and sat it on his lap. Naruto’s eyes widened in shock.

Tenten poked her head out of the water and grinned before going back under, grabbing Neji’s ankles, and yanking him into the water.

“Tenten,” he yelled as he came up out of the water. His perfect hair was now plastered to the side of his face. He yanked the hair tie out and put it on his wrist. 

Tenten swam over and wrapped her arms around his chest. “I’m sorry. Did I make you mad?” she asked with a fake pout.

He huffed. “It’s fine,” he mumbled, looking away. 

She giggled.

“Gaara!” Lee said, swimming over to him enthusiastically. “You should get in. The water is nice and warm.”

“No, I’ll stay here,” Gaara replied. 

“Are you sure? You won’t get the full experience of a pool when you only get your feet wet.”

“I’m sure,” he said, kicking his feet.

“But—”

“Lee,” Gaara said straightfaced. “I can’t swim.” He turned away, trying to hide his blush.

“Oh. OH! I could teach you how!”

“That’s alright.”

“Are you sure? It would be a lot of fun!”

“Positive.” 

Lee sighed in defeat.

“Where’s Kiba?” Hinata asked, stepping into the water next to Shino. “I thought he said he was coming?”

“He said something came up,” Shino shrugged. 

“I see.”

“Hinata! What took you so long? And why are you wearing that?” Ino asked, pointing at Hinata’s top.

“It’s a rash guard,” she mumbled, pulling on the hem of her swim shirt. 

“Didn’t you want to wear something a little more… you know,” Ino said, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Hinata’s face turned bright red. “No, I think this is good!” she insisted.

“Come on,” Ino said, flinging an arm over her shoulder. “You’ve got the body, so you might as well show it off.”

Hinata squeaked in embarrassment.

“Let her go, Ino,” Sakura said. “But she’s right, you do have the body for it,” she muttered to Hinata. 

“I—”

“What are you guys talking about,” Naruto asked, swimming over to them.

Hinata squeaked again. “Nothing! Nothing at all!”

“Stop eavesdropping,” Sakura said, shaking her fist at him.

“Hey, what did I do?”

“It’s rude to sneak up on a lady,” Ino added, splashing him.

“I wasn’t—”

“GAARA!” Lee shrieked. 

Naruto spun around to see Gaara, soaking wet after falling in the pool, scooped up into Lee’s arms. Tears were streaming down Lee’s face, and he was yelling something about youth and how he was “so sorry.” 

“Put him down, Lee,” Neji yelled.

“BUT HE CAN’T SWIM!”

“The water is 3 feet deep, Lee!”

Lee stopped mid-sob and looked at Gaara, who was mortified. “Oh,” he said, placing his feet on the ground. “You have my sincerest apologies,” he bowed. “I shall swim 500 laps in your honor!”

Lee swam furiously over to the other side of the pool, leaving Gaara and Tenten with their mouths gaping.

Gaara started making his way over to the steps when Tenten mumbled “Why do you put up with him?”

He shrugged before sitting next to Shino and Shikamaru. 

“Did your brother decide not to come?” Shino asked.

“He had to work.”

“Shino!” Hinata called from the other end of the pool. “Come play chicken with us!”

The other three pairs were already decided: Sakura was on Naruto’s shoulders, Ino was on Choji’s, and Tenten on Neji’s. Sai insisted on being the ref. 

Shino sighed before wading over to them. 

“Sucker,” Shikamaru mumbled, shifting onto Shino’s spot. 

He and Gaara sat in awkward silence, watching the chicken match at the other end of the pool.

“Shikamaru,” Gaara said, turning to him. “I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell Temari I was here.”

Shikamaru’s mouth went dry. Suddenly, he felt like going over to the deep end and drowning himself.

“She would be angry if she knew I fell in,” Gaara continued. 

Shikamaru nodded slowly, trying to pick his next words very carefully. “She told you?”

Gaara shrugged. “Not really. She just usually disappears on the same nights that you say you’re busy.”

Shikamaru nodded again, taking a deep breath. “Does it bother you?”

Gaara shrugged again. “She seems happy.”

Shikamaru felt like he was turning into a bobble head. He tried to shift his focus back on the game, but was unable to do so.

Ino and Sakura had both already fallen into the water, leaving Tenten and Hinata fighting it out. Tenten’s muscular thighs were crushing Neji’s cheeks, causing him to turn a deep red color. Eventually, Tenten fell (although Neji probably dropped her because he couldn’t breathe), making Hinata and Shino the winners. 

  
  



End file.
